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*Love this site and value everyone's feedback and greatly appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions.
My wife and I and our 9 yr old son are planning to move from NJ (too cold too high taxes) to the south. I've narrowed it down to Fort Mill SC, and Charlotte, NC.
*I work from home so job is not an issue.
Here is what we are specifically looking for:
-Good school
-No "cookie cutter" developments. We tend to be drawn to homes which offer a little more architectual style and charm (ie craftsman style).
-Sense of a nice community which to us is nice people but also a sense of feeling connected to other towns, that is we don't want to live in a community where you have to drive down a long rural road to get to the next town. It would be nice to have neighboring towns very close.
-We don't want to be in overly spacious developments but rather smaller neighborhoods where my child could easily find friends. We of course don't want to be on top of each other--a half an acre would be just fine.
-If possible would like a charming downtown but ok if we don't get that.
-Can spend 300k to 350k
-Like the hot weather but not as hot as FL or GA.
-We are not very religious so being near a church will not be important to us.
-Would like to have areas for entertainment (plays, restaurants) but don't need a wild night life.
-I of course realize that you can't get everything on your wish list but thought I should mention everything we are trying to achieve.
**AND CAN ANYONE TELL ME WHAT MONTHS THE FLOWERS AND TREES ARE IN BLOOM BECAUSE IN NJ THE DEAD OF WINTER IS FROM THE END OF OCT UNTIL THE END OF APRIL.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated and we are open to other areas that I may not have mentioned.
I would go to fort mill..taxes and everything else is on the rise in charlotte and surrounding areas...i am trying to sell to move to s.c also....fort mill rated one of the top spots for growth...
I chose Fort Mill when I was deciding where to live. I liked the cheaper taxes, cheaper rent/property, car tax is very cheap, as is car insurance. The public school system is light years better then meck county schools. Gas prices are always 20-30 cents cheaper in Fort Mill/Rock Hill then Charlotte. Fort Mill only has one "bad" part of town and it isnt all that bad. I have nearly every store I need to go to within 5 minutes of me, easy access to I-77, I can get to downtown Charlotte in 15-20 minutes, and I can get to the Ballantyne area in 15-20 minutes and dont even need to take 485.
Add another towards Fort Mill. When we decided to buy a home, we bought down in Fort Mill (having lived in an apartment prior in Charlotte for a year). Cheaper taxes, better gas, everything within 5 minutes of my home, close to I-77 for 15-20 minute drive to Charlotte uptown, community very family friendly, crime is way lower on the SC side, ...
Thank you all for your much valued feedback.
One last question: Can you tell me how long the flowers are in bloom because it's dead here in NJ from Nov-April.
Location: Some got six month some got one solid. But me and my buddies all got lifetime here
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Quote:
Originally Posted by samsdad
Thank you all for your much valued feedback.
One last question: Can you tell me how long the flowers are in bloom because it's dead here in NJ from Nov-April.
Thank you again!
They're in bloom from November to April, and then dead from May to October. Really puts a damper on spring, summer, and fall.
-Sense of a nice community which to us is nice people but also a sense of feeling connected to other towns, that is we don't want to live in a community where you have to drive down a long rural road to get to the next town. It would be nice to have neighboring towns very close.
<snip>
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated and we are open to other areas that I may not have mentioned.
Thank you!
You can't really compare Fort Mill to "Charlotte" metro in general... There are many areas around the metro that meet your requirements and won't argue that Ft Mill can fill most of them just as well as other areas.
The one key difference is the one I left highlighted... Ft Mill is not "connected to other towns" as much as many of the other areas. It's quite set into it's own little world out there. This can be a good thing for many people, for instance a community like Baxter Village gives you nice walkable amenities. Yet, you won't feel "connected to the other towns" like you point out as a requirement.
Brian is a Jersey transplant, so, he is pulling your leg.
Flowers generally start to bloom around Easter and then continue until the heat of summer, July or so. At that point, the heat and lack of water (we usually have very little rain in July/August) tend to make them wilt away. But, then, they perk up again with the rains and continue until around Thanksgiving.
Now, those are generalalities; obviously, every years is different. this year, we are experiencing huge temp/weather extremes...we were just shy of the record days of 90 + degrees this summer and now we are gearing up for the second snow storm of the season (highly unusual). BUT, when the flowers/trees bloom, it is beautiful, just horrid for your allergies. And, although you may not have allergies in Jersey, chances are pretty high that you will have them here.
Living in NJ where there's not much in bloom for close to 6 months can really get one down, so thank you very much for your detailed response.
Just one more question: Your thoughts on living in charlotte, union county or fort mill sc. Can spend 350k, like a sense of a close knit community, trying to avoid cookie cutter neighborhoods and a nice downtown area would be a plus!
Thank you.
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